On the Right of Refusal: Decolonizing Archaeology and Equitable Praxis

Summary

Fore fronting that "decolonization is not a metaphor" (Tuck and Yang

2012), this paper demonstrates how decolonization is not just an

historical process but rather an action that is political at its core. As

global efforts to redefine archaeological practice are underway to ensure

a more just and equitable practice, political historiographies of colonial

archaeology in high income postcolonies, such as the United Arab Emirates

(UAE), must also be investigated. Epistemic violence embedded within

colonial archaeology maintains itself under the guise of ‘science,’ as

archaeology continues to make demands upon bodies, landscapes, memories,

histories, and heritage.

This paper investigates what refusing to work in inequitable conditions

might look like and what sorts of alternative pathways exist for an

equitable and decolonized archaeological praxis. This will include

entering archaeology (as a discipline) into transdisciplinary dialog with

contemporary art and design. Engagement is not limited to a human to human

interaction but rather, this paper will consider conceptual engagement as

a key facet to epistemic rearrangements. Utilizing over five years of work

with collaborators in the UAE, in this paper I will provide multiple

formats through which ethical praxis emerged within frameworks of critical

pedagogy, public engagement and archaeological practice.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20560